Heavy Rain Forces Tirupati Bound Flight to Divert to Chennai

Heavy rain and strong winds caused flight disruptions at Tirupati Airport on Friday. An IndiGo flight from Vijayawada, which departed at 2:45 PM and was scheduled to land in Tirupati at 3:20 PM, could not land due to unfavourable weather conditions. After circling in the air for about an hour, the aircraft landed at Chennai Airport at 4:30 PM. IndiGo flights arriving from Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam were also delayed by around an hour.

The heavy rainfall left Tirupati Airport flooded and caused compound walls near the VIP gates of the new terminal and the old airport to collapse. Rainwater entered the runway area, reportedly due to damage to the drainage system in the surrounding area. Airport in-charge director Bhuminaathan said water had entered through the damaged compound walls near the runway. Temporary barricades have been installed at the affected locations, and the walls are expected to be rebuilt within a week.